Jointly Sponsored by the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention 

Description: This award honors the legacy of Dr. Patricia Rodier, a past President of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS) and a past Council member of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (BDRP). Each society administers the award and selects a recipient in alternating years (when the annual meeting is in an odd year, DNTS administers/selects). If no nominee is put forth by the society whose year it is to select the awardee, nominations from the other society will be evaluated (this does not affect the alternating year schedule of administration/selection).

The award is presented in a joint session during the concurrent annual meetings of DNTS and BDRP. The awardee will give a presentation related to his/her research that is intended to serve as a demonstration of independent mid-career research in a field relevant to DNTS and BDRP.

Eligibility requirements: Criteria for the award include evidence of a successful independent research career and track record of mentorship. Examples of how these may be demonstrated include, but are not limited to, the following:

• high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals;
• obtaining independent funding for research endeavors;
• active mentorship of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, young investigators, and/or trainees within one’s organization or the field in general;
• an established teaching program;
• recognition as an expert in the field.

Nominations of individuals working in academia, government, and industry are equally encouraged.

A candidate must have approximately ten to twenty-five years of professional experience from the date of their last formal training (e.g., degree conferral, completion of their postdoctoral fellowship, residency program, clinical fellowship, etc.); be a member of the society administering the award that year; and be nominated by a member of the society administering the award that year.

Nomination packages are due no later than March, 1, 2025 and should consist of the following items:

1. A letter of nomination including past accomplishments and career impact of the candidate, current research interests and projects, information on mentoring, and information on how the nominator believes the candidate’s career has advanced discovery in the field of research.
2. A second letter of reference must be provided from another individual who is familiar with the candidate’s research career.
3. A copy of the candidate’s curriculum vitae in PDF format.
4. Documents that provide evidence of a successful independent research career if not included in the curriculum vitae (see eligibility criteria above).

Judging process: The award winner will be selected each year by the Awards Committees of DNTS and BDRP, with approval of the Council of the society administering the award that year, using the criteria listed above under “Eligibility.”

For the awards given in an odd year (ie., 2025, 2027), nominations should be sent to the Chair of the DNTS Awards Committee, Michael Williams (michael.williams@cchmc.org) no later than March, 1, 2025.

Awardee Benefits:

1. Plaque
2. $500 cash prize, airfare, 2 nights’ lodging, registration to attend the annual meeting of the society administering the award that year
3. A presentation in a joint session at the concurrent annual meetings of DNTS and BDRP.

DNTS RICHARD BUTCHER NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARD

All DNTS members are encouraged to solicit applicants for the Richard Butcher New Investigator Research Award.  The New Investigator Research Award is presented for the best paper by a new investigator in the field.  The paper must be published or in-press in a peer reviewed journal during the previous two calendar years (2023 or 2024). The applicant must be first author on the paper.  The remaining criteria are determined by the Awards Committee.  The winner will present the paper at the annual meeting in a platform session and be awarded a plaque honoring their achievement.  The winner will receive support to offset the costs of attending the meeting, including airfare and lodging.

Submission Instructions:

1. Indicate your intention to apply for the New Investigator Award.
2. Send the following to Michael Williams, michael.williams@cchmc.org by March 1, 2025:

• PDF of paper to be considered for New Investigator Award
• Copy of your CV
• Name of your research advisor

3. Have research advisor submit a letter of recommendation to Michael Williams, michael.williams@cchmc.org by March 1, 2025

The Richard Butcher New Investigator Research Awardee will be notified within 1 week of the deadline.

CONFERENCE TRAVEL AWARDS

DNTS graduate student, postdoctoral fellow, and laboratory assistant members are eligible to submit applications for Conference Travel awards. These awards, designed to defray a portion of the costs of travel to the meeting, are in the amount of $500 and will be presented at the annual business meeting of the Society. The registration fee for the meeting will be waived for recipients of Conference Travel Awards.

Submission Instructions:

1. Send the following to Michael Williams, michael.williams@cchmc.org by March 1, 2025

• Abstract to be submitted
• Copy of your CV
• Letter from advisor/supervisor verifying your

2. If you are awarded a Conference award you must submit your abstract to the DNTS meeting from the DNTS website (https://www.dntshome.org).

Conference Travel Award winners will be notified within 1 week of the deadline.

This is an award for the best poster presentation by a student at the annual meetings of the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (BDRP) and Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS). It is jointly sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA) and Sanofi-Aventis in honor of Dr. Jim Bradford. Dr. Bradford was a past-President of MARTA and Sigma Xi, and he served on Committees of BDRP. He was Director of Research and Development Operations at Sanofi-Aventis at the time of his death. He mentored several current members of BDRP and was a pioneer in Industrial Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) Testing. Currently, the award consists of a plaque and $250, although the monetary award is subject to change.  This award is judged at the meeting.

Eligibility

• Nominees or nominators need not be DNTS members.
• Nominees must be students, post-doctoral fellows, laboratory assistants, or new investigators, as indicated in specific award categories.
• Nominations of individuals belonging to minoritized groups are especially encouraged.

At the annual meeting there will be two Bushnell Best Presentation Awards: one for the best graduate student or postdoc poster, and one for the best graduate student or postdoc platform presentation. These $25o awards, made in memory of Phil Bushnell, recognize excellence in scholarship, research, and communication at the annual meeting.  Awardees are selected at the meeting and there is no nomination/application process.

Judging Criteria for Awards

Selection of the award recipients will be made by members of the Awards Committee of DNTS and/or BDRP, depending on the award. The BDRP Judging Committee will award the James C. Bradford Poster Award. The following criteria will be used:

• Relevance of the research topic to the DNTS membership
• Soundness of the scientific methodology
• Quality of research in terms of novelty, scope and likely impact
• Strength of recommendation letter and the applicant’s CV
• For Bradford Poster Awards, clarity/appearance of poster, oral presentation of poster
• Best Presentation awards will be judged on scholarship, study design, data analysis and interpretation, and communication of results and their impact